A Taste of Romance / Bailee Madison
Hallmark Channel Serves Up A Sweet Treat! Bailee Madison Co-Stars in “A Taste of Romance!”
All the ingredients for a sweet family film come together in the Hallmark Channel original movie “A Taste of Romance.” Teri Polo (Sara) and James Patrick Stuart (Gill) star as rival chefs in competing local restaurants. Both cooks spend way too much time in the kitchen to avoid living life to the fullest.
Bailee Madison (fast becoming a favorite among the teen set, thanks in part to a hilarious stint on “Wizards of Waverly Place”) plays Gill’s daughter “Hannah.” Hannah is a well-meaning, young chef in training, who bonds with Sara over French Cuisine and the love of foreign language. She is also somewhat of a matchmaker.
See a promo here:
The whole family can watch this recipe for love unfold on Saturday, January 14th at 8:00PM (EST). Check you local listings for the channel.
Check out a behind-the-scenes look here:
We Get The Scoop From Bailee!
Bailee Madison is quickly becoming one of the more prominent actors of the Young Hollywood set. Thanks to high-profile jobs like playing the “girl” version of Jake T. Austin’s character “Max” on several episodes of “Wizards of Waverly Place” and Jennifer Aniston’s daughter in “Just Go With It,” she has a list of credits a mile long and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
The outgoing and sweet 12-year-old wouldn’t have it any other way. Since following her Mom and older sister into commercials, the Florida native has steadily built a resume that includes such A-list co-stars as Katie Holmes, Guy Pierce, Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire, Adam Sandler and the list goes on and on. All the while, she manages to stay focused on giving back, her education and spending time with family.
We recently chatted with Bailee who was spending the Holidays with family in their hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She gave us all the details on “A Taste of Romance,” including which co-star bonded with her over candy and why playing “Hannah” made her even more thankful for time with her Mom.
“My Mom did over 300 commercials,” Bailee begins when we ask how she got started acting. “I just kind of started when I was little. I would just crash auditions, come and walk out of my stroller and they would take me.”
She landed her first feature film in 2007. “I did my first movie, which was ‘Bridge to Terabithia’ in New Zealand for four and 1/2 months. It just kind of started then. I didn’t know what to do for the next year because Mom and I weren’t used to any of it,” she says of breaking further into the business. “I went out to L.A. for the premiere. It’s just been a big blessing. I am incredibly grateful for anything and everything that I’ve been able to do. It’s been really, really fun.”
Soon she began spending more time in L.A., wracking up credits on shows like “Cory in the House,” “Drake and Josh” and “CSI: NY.” Then came game-changing parts like the ‘Wizards’ storyline arc. “It was a totally different experience for me,” she admits when the topic comes up. “I’ve grown up with the show too. I love the show. My Mom watches it! It’s one of those shows where when you go to bed you kind of turn off the news and you go to something happy. That show was one of my favorite Disney shows. So, when I heard that I would even be able to try out for it… on the last season, I was so happy because that was like the one last chance for me to get on it.”
“It’s a totally different experience then movies,” she continues. “You’re in front of a live audience. You’re working with four different cameras. So, towards the beginning of it, my back would be turned toward the one camera that was facing towards me. Selena or Jennifer would just come up and gently brush my shoulder and get me turned to the right camera.”
“They all kind of worked together with me and taught me so much,” she says of the show’s generous cast and crew. “How to speak and [the difference between] upstage and downstage. It was a different, different vibe for me on one of my favorite shows so I learned so much! It’s crazy though because Disney shows you work really, really hard and lots of hours and tons of fun and tons of laughs!”
Bailee is excited that viewers will finally have a chance to see “A Taste of Romance” this weekend because she had a great time filming this movie too. “It’s a really, really sweet film. I’m super proud to be a part of it. We watched it when we were in L.A. and we were all snuggled up on the couch. We were just smiling. It’s such a feel good movie, which is nice because you don’t see that a lot.”
Describing her character, Bailee says, “I think Hannah is one of those just typical 12-year old girls who are just fun and outgoing but yet, she wants her family to be happy. Having her Mom die of cancer, you can tell that she’s so close to her Mom and so close to her Dad, which is nice. I mean they had a perfect family. They were always together. It’s one of those where they were always smiling. They got to do things together. It’s just her and her Dad now… they just want each other to be happy. She’s kind of a free-spirited girl and once she meets Teri Polo, the character next door (Sara), she wants her Dad to be happy again. So she gets on her little cupid outfit and starts playing matchmaker for them. I think she’s just a fun girl who wants everyone to be happy and just to be smiling!”
Because the character is one who has suffered a loss, Bailee had to use her imagination to put herself in “Hannah’s” shoes. It was something that made Bailee appreciate her family even more. “With Hannah, I’m very blessed to have both of my parents who are healthy and happy. I’m very, very close to my Mom. So I feel like having that in there, just trying to imagine if ever my Mom not be with me. It’s a little bit of a reality check. Everything that’s hard in life, you just have to bring those, as much as you can, to the character. I wanted the audience to be able to see how much fun she is but yet, when one scene happens, you can just kind of see that she is very fragile inside. Even though she’s spunky and fun, she always has a fragile side. I feel like everyone worked hard to bring Hannah to life. My mom helped me, of course, and my sister. It’s a very, very sweet character people say. She’s a super, super innocent girl… which I love.”
Much of the action of the movie takes place in kitchens and that was just fine with Bailee who spends a lot of time there in real life. “I absolutely love cooking!” she says enthusiastically. “My family is always in the kitchen cooking. For Christmas we were in there! We have our cookbooks! That’s what I asked Santa for for Christmas! So when I read the script and it was something that I love! The fact that would get to go to work every day and for some of the scenes, we are in the kitchen! We are cooking! It’s based on cooking and that’s how it all comes together. I feel like it really worked because the way my family comes together is when we’re in the kitchen and when we’re cooking! So the fact that that’s what Hannah was trying to do was get them together, in the kitchen, cooking was really what is was all about.”
The actress has high praise for her co-stars who made going to work every day a joy. “They were so much fun! Teri is a total goofball! She’s always making everyone smile on set which is great! She brought so much beautiful energy. Everyday she was smiling! She brought her little boy on set. James was great! He really captured ‘Gill.’ He was a lot of fun to get to see every day. They were all just so sweet! Romy Rosemont, who played Sara’s other Sous Chef, is so so sweet! I really got to bond with her too! We talked about all the vintage candies, the fruit stripe gum! She was just such a sweet woman! She really made coming to set wonderful every single day!”
The young actress had no problem hanging out with adults all day and being the youngest on the set most of the time. “I’m the youngest of my brother who is 26; my sister is 25 and my other brother who is 23. I’ve always grown up in that kind of environment. For me, it’s not like that; you go to set with people who you’ve become so close too. They’re always fun! This set especially! Teri was always smiling and making jokes. Romy was talking about her favorite candy and she’d bring candy every day for us to try! I feel like when you’re in an environment with people who you love, it makes it so much fun no matter what age they are!”
Making the movie was extra fun for Bailee thanks in part to a few scenes where the characters go horseback riding. It was a good experience despite less-than-perfect weather conditions. “You can’t tell, but that day… it was pouring down rain!” she confesses of her time spent on a horse. “Muddy all over and we got to ride in the rain. It didn’t show on camera which is fantastic! Of course, your clothes are going to get wet. That was fun! I felt like I was in ‘Cowgirl Mode!’ I was like ‘Come on! We can do this! Get a good shot with the rain coming through our hair!’ It was super fun!” she laughs.
“The story is so real life,” she summarizes as we start to switch subjects. “It brings so much of your real life into a film which is what I love about Hallmark. This film doesn’t make it feel like a film. It’s something you can watch with you family and relate too. I love it! It’s fantastic! Hallmark is a wonderful channel!”
The conversation turns to education and how this in-demand actress juggles both school and a career. “Well, I’ve always gone to Christ Church School, ever since I was in Pre-K, here in Florida. I’d come home and put on my little uniform. Sadly, it only goes to fifth grade and I’m in middle school this year. So we had to figure out what to do.”
“I was in Atlanta filming ‘Us and Them’ with Billy Crystal and Bette Midler, when I wrapped that it was going to be Christmas vacation. So there was really no point in putting me in a new school. So I’m trying the whole home schooling thing right now on a computer. It’s going well. I’m trying to get use to it. We’re definitely going to go get me some books next year and try to find a school because that’s the way to do it and I feel like it’s a way to keep you humble. I always have a teacher on set with me to help with school work and that’s always good. Education is very, very important.”
“I love anything that has to do with literature and writing,” she says when asked her favorite subjects. “History and Science I am a huge fan of… experiments and learning about organisms and everything. I love anything that has to do with a big report on history.”
When not in school or on a set, you’ll find her hanging out with family and friends and doing normal almost teenager things. “I love to cook! I feel like it’s relaxing! I just got a whoopie pie maker so I’m going to start making whoopie pies. I love cooking, hanging out with my family, playing with my dog Maddie, she’s a goldendoodle. I just like surrounding myself with family because at the end of the day that’s all that matters is family and friends and making those memories. I just like hanging out with my friends, arts and crafts, swimming, riding my bike, anything with my friends and family.”
She’s also keeping in touch with fans on the Internet, but don’t look for her on Facebook. “I actually tried to have a Facebook but they kicked me off saying that I was the wrong Bailee,” she explains in disbelief. “I do have a twitter. It’s @BaileeMadison. I just got my name back so you guys can follow me there and maybe I will follow you back!”
We chatted with Bailee just as the holiday season was coming to an end. “We’re originally from Fort Lauderdale, that’s our hometown. I’m here right now. We’ve been here since Christmas Eve which has been lovely. So I’ve been able to see my family. We always kind of get together and we’re all just amazed at how much the Lord has given us. It’s a big, big blessing. I’m having so much fun.”
While at home, the generous talent wanted to spend some time trying to share those blessings with others. “I’m involved with Alex’s Lemonade Stand and actually, I’m going to be doing a lemonade stand tomorrow. I’ve been setting up for that all day. We’ve got the lemonade and the lemons. It was founded by a little girl named Alex Scott who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma a day before her first birthday. At three years old, she said she wanted to have a lemonade stand, not to help herself… that way other kids don’t have to go through what she’s going through. [She wanted] to help find that cure. She passed away. She lost the battle at the age of 8. Her parents and all of us are trying to carry on her dream and achieve that dream. It’s all lemons trying to find that cure!”
Hopefully, Bailee is well rested after a nice break because 2012 is going to be a busy year for her. “I have a really, really sweet film called ‘Cowgirls and Angels,’” she says about upcoming projects. “It’s kind of that whole cowboy thing. That’s why when I first got to ride that horse in ‘Taste of Romance,’ I was like, ‘I want to do more of this!’ And then I got this film. It’s a really beautiful film that I love. It’s with James Cromwell. It’s about a little girl who has never met her Dad before and steps out on this rodeo journey in hopes of finding him. It’s really sweet and it’s another one of those feel good movies. Hopefully [she wants to make] some more really, really sweet films. It’s all in the Lord’s hands. Whatever he has planned for me… is what he’ll do. I’m just excited for more things and really, really excited for the New Year.”
No doubt, her education will continue both on and off sets. “I’ve learned just from watching them,” she says of working with incredibly talented co-stars. “Katie Holmes would come to set every day and wish everyone ‘Hello,’ and ‘How is your day going?’ She never left set until everyone knew she said goodbye and have a wonderful night,” she raves about her “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” co-star. “I feel like it’s kind of a classy respect that you should have. I learned so much just by watching her and how she prepared and how kind she was.”
“I’ve learned every single set how to watch people and how they never change,” she continues. “The most important part of this business is that you can get steered off onto the wrong path. I feel like watching them, I was able to see that they’re so talented, yet they’re so sweet… they care about so many other people. I think that’s the main lesson I’ve learned.”
If you see Bailee in a restaurant or airport, come up and say Hi! She would love to talk with you. “All I can say is don’t be afraid. They always don’t want to bother you. I always say ‘We signed up for this business and part of signing up is meeting you and thanking you for all of your support.’ I think that just coming up and being yourself is all that matters. That way we can tell you how much we appreciate you.”
She also has some encouraging advice for any aspiring actor who might be too afraid to pursue the dream. “Make sure that you’re doing what you love and following your dreams. Acting is not all glamorous so just make sure that you’re ready for it. Never give up because it doesn’t happen over night. You have to work for it and you have to fight for it. Even if you come from the smallest town… it is possible! I feel like just follow your dreams and don’t give up! Just be courageous is my new thing!”
Looking ahead to the New Year, Bailee hopes to make more great memories with family and change one little thing about herself. “I think just to surround myself with more family and surround ourselves with people we know that we love and that we trust,” she replies when asked about goals for 2012. “Last year had its ups and its downs and I’m sure this year will too. I think that it’s just you keep your head held high and you stay classy through all of it. I just hope that we can come into 2012 with a big smile and hold each other’s hands and get through it! Also, I fidget sometime too so I want to stop this whole fidgeting thing and hopefully get some long, long nails!”
Watching this young actress on TV movies, feature films and/or television shows is a pure delight! Catch her in “A Taste of Romance” on Saturday, January 14th at 8:00PM on the Hallmark Channel and share the sweet film with your whole family. Then keep an eye on this rising talent. She’ll be bringing new characters to life for a long time to come and it’s the audience who will be the most grateful.
Find out more about “A Taste of Romance” here:
www.hallmarkchannel.com/atasteofromance
Follow Bailee on Twitter here:
http://twitter.com/baileemadison
Learn more about Alex’s Lemonade Stand here: